Miti intends to reveal audit finding of 75 AP holders - deputy minister
Putrajaya have conducted audits against 75 approved permit (AP) holders and intended to reveal the audit finding, said Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Ong Kian Ming.
"Since May 2018, we have audited 50 APs in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, 10 AP in Sabah and Sarawak and 10 AP in Johor as well as five in Penang," he told Dewan Rakyat during a question-and-answer session.
Putrajaya has conducted audits against 75 approved permit (AP) holders and intends to reveal the audit findings, said Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Ong Kian Ming.
"Since May 2018, we have audited 50 AP holders in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, 10 in Sabah and Sarawak and 10 in Johor as well as five in Penang," Ong (above) told Dewan Rakyat during a question-and-answer session today.
He said the on-site visits and compliance audits were conducted between September 2018 and September this year.
"The ministry will continue to conduct compliance audits on all AP holders to assess the effectiveness of the AP system," he added.
Ong said the government had pledged to correct whatever weaknesses there were in the AP system.
"The government started the audit practice since 2009 and a total of nine companies were blacklisted for abusing the approved permits (APs)," he said.
Ong said the ministry planned to reveal the audit findings against the AP holders once the audit process was completed.
The audit was to make sure the AP holders run their own business without engaging intermediary companies, he said.
He was replying to Pang Hok Liong (Harapan-Labis) who asked whether a forensic audit was compulsory for AP receivers to ensure there were no leakage and corruption elements in the process of AP awarding and distribution.
Pang also asked if the government planned to make public the audit findings.
Ong said the ministry intended to reveal the information after the audit process was completed.
"From the aspect of transparency, we intended to do so but we have to evaluate the legal implications where the companies may sue us if (we make) the findings public before the audit is completed.
"However, when the probe and audit are completed, we, of course, intend to reveal the information generally," he said.
The Pakatan Harapan government had decided to keep but review the AP system which they had questioned since the BN era.
The ministry had given APs to 36 new companies in January this year.
